GOP cuts to child support assailed

[Secret Squirrel]

Two Democratic congressmen are demanding that Republicans restore proposed budget cuts next week for child support enforcement to help local governments track down deadbeat parents.

Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) made a joint appearance at Suffolk County Family Court in Central Islip yesterday to blast Republican leaders for slashing the program by $1.5 billion for next year. The budget cuts would cost $8.4 billion in lost collections nationally - including $486 million in New York State - during the next 10 years, Israel said.

"Every dollar in child support enforcement results in $4 in child support collection," Israel said in a telephone interview yesterday. "To balance the budget on the backs of single moms and their kids, it's pure insanity."

The reduction in child support services was part of a proposed package of $40 billion in spending cuts to programs serving the poor and elderly. Congress will take it up next week.

President George W. Bush has hailed the cuts as the first real reduction in entitlements in nearly a decade.

Obey yesterday called the effort to reverse the cuts an "uphill fight," and added, "But it is just inconceivable to me that people can defend a vote that says you are going to slough off the responsibility for supporting families who ought to be getting their child support money onto other programs."

Like other counties, Suffolk relies on federal aid for its child support enforcement bureau, which goes after deadbeat parents to ensure that they pay their child support. County officials said Suffolk, which serves 52,000 families, collected $127.4 million on their behalf last year.

Dennis Nowak, a spokesman for the county's department of social services, said federal budget cuts could lead to fewer child support workers.

Suffolk Legis. Elie Mystal (D-Amityville), chairman of the county Legislature's health and human services committee, said if parents don't get the child support they are due, they could "revert back to the county for the county to take care of them" through taxpayer-funded public assistance.

link (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lidead244599540jan24,0,3142325.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines)

[Firetxmi]

Its part of the "defense of marriage." What they are trying to say is: "Hey, don't divorce your cheating/abusive/etc. husbands mom's because you wont get as much help when he doesn't pay!"

:roll:

[2Sheds_Jackson]

Its part of the "defense of marriage." What they are trying to say is: "Hey, don't divorce your cheating/abusive/etc. husbands mom's because you wont get as much help when he doesn't pay!"

:roll:

Why the f*ck is the Federal Government of the Untied States paying for child support collection - at all? If this program is such a success, why aren't the people benefiting from it the ones paying for it?

Hey let's cut all the overhead and just place all children into large government buildings upon birth and just make them wards of the state from the get-go.

I have to hand it to my wife, she has the best child support collection scheme going - and it doesn't involve any expenditures from 3rd parties, or law enforcement, or the judicial branch, or local, state or federal governments. She just threatens to not let me play with her naughty bits, and I do what she wants. It's almost too efficient.

[Firetxmi]

Why the f*ck is the Federal Government of the Untied States paying for child support collection - at all? If this program is such a success, why aren't the people benefiting from it the ones paying for it?


I'm sorry, I happen to believe that childrens fathers, or mothers if that be the case of the divorce, should pay when they are not around or are seperated. I believe that both parents have an equal financial responsability when raising the kid they BOTH created! If the federal or state governments don't enforce it 2sheds, then how do you expect it to be enforced when one party does not pay?

[ogukuo72]

The local law enforcement agency?

[Firetxmi]

This is from my home state (Texas):

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Attorney General Abbott Expresses Disappointment That Children Bear Brunt Of Federal Budget Bill
$200 million cut from child support enforcement funding in Deficit Reduction Act

AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today voiced his deep disappointment that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which passed the Senate today, contains provisions that dramatically slash funding for child support enforcement. The legislation will result in a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars to run the Texas child support program, which will lead to an estimated $2 billion drop in child support collections and will hurt a million Texas children who receive child support services.

“I am deeply concerned about the harm that this legislation will cause children in Texas and across the nation,” said Attorney General Abbott. “Provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act will make it much harder for my office to help a million Texas children who need child support to furnish the basic necessities of life. Texas has one of the most successful child support programs in the nation, yet this bill punishes states that have performed well. How unfortunate that when a government program proves to be successful, it is victimized by its very success.”

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, also known as Senate Bill 1932, passed the Senate today by a vote of 51-50 after passing the House earlier this week by a vote of 212-206. Minor changes were made to the Senate version prior to passage, which requires the bill to return for a final vote from the House. However, that final vote in the House is viewed as a formality.

The bill contains a provision that precludes the use of incentive payments states receive for exemplary child support performance as a match to obtain additional federal funds. Ironically, because the Attorney General’s office has consistently achieved exemplary performance, the program will be hit especially hard. Texas has received the second highest incentive payment in the nation for the last three years.

By eliminating this funding source, Texas will lose more than $200 million between October 2007 and September 2010 to run its child support enforcement program, which the Attorney General projects will lead to a possible $2 billion drop in child support collections over that three-year period.

Texas earned $35 million in federal incentive payments for the Child Support Division’s exceptional performance during federal fiscal year 2004. The projected incentive payment for federal fiscal year 2005 is $35.2 million, which will result in an additional $70 million in federal funding to operate the Texas program, subject to appropriation by the Texas Legislature.

The legislation also reduces reimbursement for paternity testing from 90 percent to 66 percent of the cost, resulting in a loss of an additional $10 million between October 2006 and September 2010.

Attorney General Abbott added that the child support funding cuts will not achieve the Congress’s goal of reducing government spending.

“The child support we collect helps these single moms and dads feed their children, put clothes on their backs and a roof over their heads,” Abbott said. “Without it, many would slip into poverty, forcing them to turn to public assistance.”

In the state fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, the Office of the Attorney General collected more than $1.8 billion in child support that benefitted Texas children. Funding cuts authorized by the federal legislation will increase government spending because the loss of child support will force many needy families to seek public assistance.

The Attorney General’s Division for Families and Children is directed by state and federal law to assist families who currently receive or have received public assistance and families who request child support services. Approved services include locating absent parents; establishing paternity for children born to unmarried parents; establishing, enforcing, and modifying child and medical support orders; and collecting and distributing child support payments.

Link: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=1374